Oklahoma Kicker Tate Sandell 'Staying Neutral' After Strong Outing vs. Temple

It would’ve been easy — maybe natural — for Tate Sandell to get flustered when he missed a field goal in the fourth quarter against Michigan.

It was a big kick that Sandell didn’t come through on: A make would have given the Sooners a two-score lead. But because Sandell missed from 42 yards out, the Wolverines stayed within eight points in crunch time.

That was Sandell’s first field-goal attempt as a Sooner, and it didn’t go as planned. But knowing that he likely would be called upon again later in the quarter, Sandell kept his head up.

OU’s defense forced a Michigan punt, and the Sooners responded with a 16-play, 78-yard drive that Sandell capped off with a 21-yard field goal to ice the game.

“I just try to just stay as neutral as possible, use being naive as a tactic,” Sandell said. “Just try to keep my job as simple as possible and just wait for my name to be called.”

Sandell’s level-headedness in that moment came down to one thought pattern — his belief that he was a good kicker.

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Sandell transferred to Oklahoma from UTSA after earning Honorable Mention All-AAC honors for the Roadrunners in 2024. Last season, he went 19-of-23 on field goals and made a career-long 54-yard kick.

The kicker said he never lost any confidence after his miss against Michigan, and that showed in the Sooners’ next game against Temple.

Sandell went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts. His first attempt went for a season-long 52 yards, while his second kick was a 29-yard chip-shot that gave OU a 28-3 lead at halftime.

Just like his confidence didn’t decrease after missing from 42 against Michigan, Sandell’s stellar performance against the Owls didn’t affect his mindset either.

“I just try to never get too high, never get too low,” Sandell said. “Short-term memory.”

Sandell is part of OU’s new-look special teams group.

He is one of two kickers that the Sooners added from the portal, along with Austin Welch, a Kennesaw State transfer who missed his first attempt as a Sooner against Temple. Oklahoma also signed punters Jacob Ulrich and Grayson Miller from the portal, and they have both seen playing time in OU’s first three games. And transfer wide receiver Isaiah Sategna headlines the punt and kick return games.

All of the transfers have gone through similar adjustments during their first several months in Norman, which has allowed Sandell to quickly adapt to his new program.

“It’s very welcoming here,” Sandell said. “It hasn’t been too much of a challenge off the field. It’s a very good culture on the field, as well. I’ve been enjoying it.”

Oklahoma begins SEC play on Saturday against Auburn. The Tigers are 3-0 after beating Baylor, Ball State and South Alabama in their first three-conference.

Sooners coach Brent Venables often describes the SEC as a “one-possession league.” Because of that, Sandell knows that he will likely be called upon in game-altering situations during conference play — but he’s not backing away from the pressure.

“I’m ready,” Sandell said. “It’s fun. We’ve been looking forward to it.”